There's nothing special I've prepared for this conference, but I thought we haven't. seen one another for such a long time for a purpose of a Saturday evening conference that it should not be skipped again this week. And, of course, there are things to tell about and things that interest us all very much in connection with this little trip that I went on during these two days. It was a very edifying experience, really, to meet people and parents like that, good Catholic parents.

[01:11]

First of all, the fact that over fabulous, I want to say, social and economical rises, as they are possible only in this country of the illimited or unlimited possibilities. A boy who came here in 1926, twenty years old, twenty-two years old, not a penny, to his own, and simply a mechanic, and comes to this country and now is, I don't know how often, a millionaire. A man who runs not one factory or corporation, but literally a dozen. And still absolutely, you know, keeps his head even.

[02:12]

See, at least I... ...heal and is... really very much deeply attached to the Church. He was born in Trier, and that's the reason for these contacts. And then, as I say, came to this country simply as an apprentice. The interest was carried upwards, probably not only carried, but also, as we say, made his way. up, but kept his deep attachment and loyalty to the church. His wife was a Protestant, imagine, from Northern Ireland, so it was a difficult problem, but I think he turned her, or is turning her, into a saint.

[03:16]

many different ways but it was wonderful also to see them in this great distress because this was their only son of six children and so tremendously attached to him but the way they took the news as well as the at the moment as well as later on you know was really tremendously edifying, and met the situation really with their whole faith in Christ, and also an absolute resignation in God's will, and that was not only a phrase, but really something very, very real. Then, thank God, it seems that he has passed the crisis, you know, it was yesterday. I said if he would live for 12 more hours, that would mean that he would really have passed the crisis, and so he did.

[04:25]

It seems he is now on the way up, but it was very badly hurt, had a fractured skull, fractured jaw, and completely cut up in the face, and so he was thrown through the windshield. and was found about 50 feet away from the car which had overturned and had gone at such speed that it simply had chopped off a telegraph pole, and then had bunked into and destroyed a telephone booth. But they, as I say, they let the situation really equate. So that's in itself something very, really very edifying on this day, but then it was also very consoling to meet Father Prior Eccarius, and then Father Herbert Leo came down from his Western Priory, and we met in Albany then yesterday evening at a long meeting.

[05:44]

And I think very fruitful about the question of the monastas, and I mean the monk who is not becoming a priest. And as you know, that's a vital, very vital question for us, and for the three of us. Because Father Priya's monastery is Saint Matthias in Tria. St. Matthias in Trier had been kind of excommunicated. The Boronese congregation, it was expressed in this way, that their connection with the Boronese congregation had been suspended. It was inactive, but it remained inactive for about six or seven years. Now, as Father Ocario says, and I think he's right, you cannot keep a community during six or seven years simply in a state of suspension.

[06:53]

That's impossible. It's a living organism, and as a living organism it develops, and so you cannot expect that after seven years it simply forgets what has happened in the meantime. goes back. But the thing was this, that certainly without his knowing it, without the Boronese congregation knowing it, the congregation of religious, simply sent a, how can we say, a declaration that the reasons for the suspension had seemed And that St. Matthias was again a member of the Boronese congregation. As I say to the great surprise of both parties. And that creates a very difficult situation.

[07:54]

creates especially a difficult situation because St. Matthias then, in the meantime, accepted the idea of the monasticism and the monastic community without lay brothers, but all monks. And that is an idea which had great success in the meantime. And St. Matthias was the... One can say without exaggeration the only monastery in Germany that during these last years had a considerable number of vocations. He has in the novitiate right now eight novices, one of them intending to become a priest and seven not. So, of course, these three are already professed, simply professed, on the same line, with the same idea in mind.

[08:59]

And, of course, the whole training of the novices has been in that direction. The whole way of life has been established in that direction. So, therefore, it is very difficult now to... to adjust or to take away a system that they had never accepted. You see, when St. Matthias separated from the Balinese congregation, the abbots called all their lay brothers away, back home from St. Matthias. So, Father Eukarius found himself without lay brothers. Now, then, he decided this was the moment to start another system. And now it's started, and so he hoped it will continue. But as I say, there are many problems connected with it. And that is what we have discussed, because Father Herbert Lee, of course, is also on the same line, plus minusve, literal, you know,

[10:14]

Waverings, but on the whole, yes. So there we were, the three, you know, and we spoke about it. But it was very heartening then to see that Father Eucharist had sent a questionnaire to various abbeys which he had heard that they were trying to go new ways. in this question. And I read one letter which was written by the prior of Maria Tzel. Maria Tzel, you know, is that famous sanctuary where we have the copy of Our Lady of Maria Tzel in the sacristy. You know, it's that wood, painted wood, the statue. That's Our Lady of Maria Zell with the tremendous crown, and the baby also with that tremendous crown.

[11:22]

That's Maria Zell, and that's one of the big sanctuaries of the whole of all these countries there, the Habsburg countries, all the Catholic Slavic countries. And Maria Zell had been entrusted to the Abbey of St. Lamprecht in Austria. But then a community developed there, which then separated from the Austrian congregation. And there were some years, too, of suspension. connection with last year's centenary of Mariaceo, the Priory was also declared an independent Priory and a conventional Priory.

[12:26]

So he showed me a letter from the Priory of this new monastery, also a monastery, and in the course of the turmoil of the post-war period kind of suddenly got the chance to start its own ways. And I saw to my great surprise and joy that they too had exactly the same ideas, that he had written a very beautiful letter to Father Eucarius explaining their ideas about it. They have also introduced this system with a great success and also with quite a few vocations, quite in contrast to the other Austrian monasteries. Then I also studied letters that were written for Marotsu, and the Abbey of Marotsu also had

[13:33]

and was trying out a new system with monks, not priests. Then there was a letter from East Africa, the missionary country, where one of the Benedictine bishops had started a community of natives also on this basis. Then there was another one in the Congo. So, it showed, you know, that there is in many various parts of the world there is that same groping for a form of monasticism closer to the original meaning of the holy rule. In connection with all these readings of these letters and of memorandums and of talking to Father Eucarious and Tabithaleo and so on.

[14:39]

There are a few points, you know, that came out here in our minds that maybe I wanted to, you know, we could reflect upon them. In this whole question of the monks, not priests, is a question of the concrete realization under concrete circumstances of the ideal which St. Benedict has shown to us in his rule. In the Confederatio Benedictina, as it exists now, is, of course, instituted for that purpose to bring together all those various realizations under historical and local circumstances of the rule of St.

[15:51]

Benedict. And that has to be kept very well in mind because in tackling this problem, also in proposing it to the public. It seems to me that we have to avoid two extremes right from the beginning. One is, of course, that the congregations, which are already in existence and which are now bound together in the Confederatio of Black Benedictines, that they do not exclude from their confideration those attempts which are being made in this our day. realize in a concrete way that given historical circumstances in their own community the idea of the holy rule naturally if they do that if they would do that then they would i mean the congregations which now exist and which are organized

[17:18]

in the Confederatio Benedictina. They would then naturally kind of canonize and declare absolute their own various modifications of the rule, and they would by that exclude new interpretations as not Benedict. That, of course, is impossible. but we can speak about that maybe later. I say that because that is one of the questions, which will be discussed at the Congress of the Abbots. The real occasion, I mean, for our getting together, and also partly for Father Eucarious Congim over here, was this the approaching Congress of the Abbots. Now, although a suggestion has been sent out for topics, which the Abbott pilot has compiled, for the topics that have to be discussed or should be discussed at this coming meeting.

[18:37]

And they are, I must confess, with rather mixed feelings, I found, that the central question really was that of the monasticism in the way in which we try to realize that. And then, of course, in some way it is very... I mean, it shows that this question has, in the past twelve years, or six years even, six years after the last Congress of Abbots, has really taken on a very central importance in Benedictine life. Six years ago, it was already a kind of a very unimportant question, and it was discouraged from the beginning to the end as something that wouldn't be of much interest at all. The idea was that the Labour or the Institute had solved that question, finished, period.

[19:45]

Now, in these six years, that has evidently changed, so that for this coming year now, exactly this question is, at least in these propositions that the Abbott Parliament is sending around, takes a central place. Now, if it will be that way at the Congress of the Abbots, that's again another question. Maybe the Abbots have some other problems on their minds which they consider as very important. This, what we saw there on the suggestions, were the things that the upper climate considered as very essential. So, and that, of course, now brings this question. And, of course, it was there. That is the thing which was stated, you know. Now, is this a way which, you know, is possible, you know, within the Confederatio Benedictina.

[20:47]

Then, so that is one thing that, to my mind, is absolutely to be avoided, because this Confederatio Benedictina, if it has any meaning, can only have this meaning that it is a confederation of various congregations, abbeys, which in their various ways and according to their history, historical circumstances, local circumstances, all these counting and all these having their importance and their influence on the formation of the monastic life as it is lived in these abbeys, are bound together all by the common love to the rule of St. Benedict. that they are therefore considered the rule of St. Benedict as the foundation, as the inspiration, and therefore St. Benedict as their spiritual father. But, of course, if they then would, you know, which I don't see how that would be possible, would kind of exclude, you know, the interpretation of the monk with, I mean, monk with our priest, I don't think so, then, of course, they would kind of canonize what

[22:06]

the Confirmation and the existing congregations have now at this point. Now, if one considers, you know, and kind of feels the general climate of the congregations that exist now, I think a part of this general climate is that they all are feeling their way to, let's say, new horizons. in various directions. But still, I mean, there is certainly at this moment not an attitude which Rome would simply exclude one thing, which simply is an absolute legitimate interpretation of the rule of sent building. But, of course, it is also necessary that the new attempts do not, you know, declare their own interpretation as the only Benedictine way of life, and consider all the others as kind of watering down and so on, because that would be completely against the existing realities of Benedictine life, the existing realities that have come into being historically,

[23:31]

And there they are, approved by the Church and in a certain way established, and of course also through the stability which has its roots in the rule of St. Benedict kind of fixed. So therefore we cannot, and one could not, even make as one and any one, let us say, pure interpretation of the letter of the rule, the norm according to which now the entire Benedictine life has to be reformed. That was, to my mind, the mistake which was made in the 17th century by the abbot of Ancay, and which took, naturally, you see, this special group monastery is out of the context of the general benedictine life the world over and made it a special order and making and doing it then organizing it as a special order again you know of course committed so we say a grievous fault against the rule of saint benedictine so this kind of literal

[24:57]

interpretation of the rule maintained and kept up through centralized authority in a group of monastery in order to prevent them from coercion in order to keep up and maintain their standards is also something which today in fact is not on not in the mind of anybody who during these last years has started new forms of Bendicton life. But naturally also, and that is another question which we have to keep in mind, and a tendency which has developed, there is a question what is really or what keeps this Konferratio Bendictina together?

[25:59]

And there are, of course, there are several. Everybody is clear about it that it is not the Abbot Prime. But what then keeps together? It's certainly not the one interpretation of the rule, you see. And there the explanation has been offered, you know, now what keeps us together is the discretio, you know, the famous discretion of the rule. We are one in the spirit of discretion. Now that, of course, has then its certain danger, you see, and that also can be filled, you know, from the part of several abys, you know, and therefore these modern attempts, you know, They have a trappist smell, you know. They are practically trappists, you know. That one hears that too. And because we are all one in this wonderful spirit of discretio, therefore they kind of don't belong to us, you know.

[27:05]

Now, that of course, you know, has to be... But it is absolutely clear that on the principle in that way of disquetio, you know, it's really a matter of disquetio to let the other one live, especially then, and as long as he sincerely, you know, tries under his own local historical circumstances. to put into practice an interpretation of the rule, which evidently is closer to the original idea. What you see there is then united with the idea of discretio is another one, and that is the idea of development, of development, that one has in the meantime developed, that the royal church is constantly developing. And that we cannot turn back the wheel of history to the sixth century.

[28:10]

But we have to recognize developments. Now, I would say that that's fine, you know. Yes, let us recognize developments, you know. But then, for evil's sake, let us also recognize the possibility that this theory of development does not only justify the present explanations and realizations of the rule. I mean, the principle of development does not only work for the past, you know, continues to work, you know. So if there has been development in the past, maybe there's also a development into the future. So therefore, you know, also there, one should then, if one believes in development, believe in development after the 19th century too. not only until the 19th century. So, because if one doesn't do that, you know, then if one says, Disgratio is, you know, our mother, that keeps us together, and believe in development, you see.

[29:20]

And therefore, this is what we have, and that's fine, is all came into being through Disgratio and development. Discreet development. So... If that is the case, then of course the great danger really exists. That's the monastic movement and the monastic spirit. I mean, that elementary desire and urge that is essential to Christianity as a realization of the messianic age, in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, that that simply goes into other channels, and that the future development of the monastic idea will be found or withdraws into the secular institutes as the only way in which then it would be possible to do it. And that, of course, would be a tremendous blow to the existing...

[30:24]

confederatio per invictina is simply not thinkable. It's absolutely impossible. But, of course, there are already examples, you know, which shows that to talk about and see these dangers is not without actuality, because we see already certain monastic institutions Or also, let us say, ways, modern ways, of living the monastic idea, developing outside the Benedictine Confideration, as I say, in the form of secular institutes. So, therefore, those two extremes, you know, we have really to avoid, you know, not to excommunicate one another. That, to my mind, is the worst thing that would happen. And so therefore also in your own prayers, in preparing the way for the Holy Spirit, for this meeting of abbots, which it seems, you know, can be of very decisive importance, you know, really, for the future of the whole order.

[31:42]

I think it's so necessary, you know, to have that in mind. No... mutual excommunication avoiding of that extreme of excluding on one hand you know for the purpose of the status quo exclude simply the attempts you know that are being made of a new realization of the monastic idea and on the other hand too those who through the inscrutable divine problems have been placed into a position where this new development can be attempted not to fill the hearts with any arrogance, not with a spirit of exclusive kind of reform, and of that, as I said, arrogance that is so often connected with that kind of approach. but to do that with respect and with reverence and with love for those who through centuries have worked hard to maintain the life of the holy rule, have made under the pressure of various historical circumstances, many of which were absolutely not in the power of those who were leading the monastic life in these abbeys, have come

[33:11]

to various explanations and various forms in which the rule of St. Benedict today is being realized. So that is very important, in that real spirit of humility which respects the other one and does not, in a kind of haughty way, simply know that, well, no good. Another thing which I think is also important for all of us, and that would be then maybe a topic for another conference, and that is, you know, one can see that too in the points which are given in this program for the coming Congress of the Abbots, that this Christian of the monks, not priests, Communities made up, therefore, of one class, one group, monks, that that is not considered simply as a kind of a concession to the spirit of the times.

[34:30]

That is a thing which is just now, which is being found, can be found so, in various places and various, you know, minds. And that, I think, is so wrong. Certainly, I mean, I say what we do and what we try to do is not to say we are the only ones who really live the rule of sin pending for something like that. But certainly this The question comes about not as a concession to the spirit of the age, but it comes about through the rule itself. It is founded in the very spirit of monasticism, as the witness in the church of the fullness of the messianic age.

[35:37]

the fullness of the Spirit, let us say. And that this, therefore, is then, as organization, a part of it, an expression of that. So it is the Holy Spirit, it's not the Spirit of the age, you know, which induces or which urges us to go on in this direction. The spirit of the age may have something to do with it in this way that, of course, various historical developments or cultural or sociological circumstances may shift the emphasis, may also give new possibilities to monastic ways and monastic realizations. which have not existed in the past. One must always think, you see, that on one side the spirit of the ages is not something that should be by all means, you know, considered by the monks as an important factor to which, you know, to make concessions.

[36:59]

No, certainly not. But on the other hand, it's also in this way that the spirit of the ages has something positive. It's not only a thing that has to be considered with suspicion all the time. Historical changes, cultural changes, can and should be contemplated by a Christian under this aspect. Not that it is corruption and that it's all wrong and that we have to resist it, you know, with always a tooth and a nail, you know, and so on. To the last moment, no, not every change and every historical change is always also something which is a challenge and which opens a new opportunity. Maybe in the Middle Ages it could not be done. Monasticism, considering the social circumstances, prejudices the whole structure of medieval society, maybe it was impossible.

[38:00]

But in our days, there it is. The possibility is there. Therefore, the spirit of the ages there is there as a challenge and is there as an open door. So let's go in. Let's use this open door. For what purpose? Not to serve the spirit of the ages, but to serve the Holy Spirit. That should be and is really our aim. We don't do that, you know, because now in our nation it isn't possible anymore, let's say, you know, to have there a class of the educated on top, you know, and then a class of the uneducated, you know, below, certainly. That that is futile, and because the futile age has passed, therefore we must go. No, not in that way. The fact that the feudal age has passed simply opens to Christianity new possibilities. But the steam and the power with which we move then into a new age is the Holy Spirit, and that also should be kept in mind by all of us.

[39:13]

See, I mean, the very fact that... And our own life, you know, here at this place, wouldn't have any meaning, see, before God, would never have the right, let us say, to become in any way recognized if it were not lived in the Holy Spirit. And that must be clear to all. This is a question in the, to say, of the Holy Spirit. And therefore also... The success depends entirely on the way, the undividedness with which we serve the Holy Spirit in our community.

[40:02]

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